Everton manager Marco Silva will manage the side for the second season in 2019-20, hoping to put up a better showing and climb up the Premier League ladder. The Toffees manager will want his team to push higher up the table and challenge the big guns for a position in the top 6, something which seemed an almost impossible task a couple of years ago.
The Merseyside club have trimmed their squad well, letting go of some players as well as securing the transfers of a few important players.
Let’s take a look at 3 reasons why Everton have a chance to finish in the top 6 next season:
Opponents haven’t strengthened significantly
Everton have made two major signings so far this season, both in central midfield areas. André Gomes returned to Everton after a year-long loan spell, but this time made his move from Barcelona to Everton a permanent one, while England international Fabian Delph has moved from champions Manchester City bringing with him a wealth of experience. The Toffees had made several top quality signings last year and while the addition of these two players might not help them make the Champions League, as Everton’s odds sit well back of the Top 4, it may give the club a chance to qualify for the Europa League.
Meanwhile, clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea, have not made any big-money signings so far this season. Chelsea’s transfer ban rules them out from signing any player this season, while Arsenal’s transfer budget cap means they will possibly be able to add just 1-2 high-quality signings. Manchester United, meanwhile, have switched their focus towards signing younger players who have the potential to become very good in the future rather than finished projects.
Everton have made two good signings and we could see more players incoming, especially a top-quality striker. This, coupled with the young squad that they have, could propel them to a top 6 position in the league.
Squad quality and depth
As mentioned in the previous point, Everton have made quite a few big-money signings over the last few seasons and have a brilliant squad. Everton have one if not two quality players for each position, some of whom could even make it easily into sides in the top 4.
Lucas Digne, who moved from Barcelona to Everton last season, had a great first season at the club and will only get better this year, while Idrissa Gueye was one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League last year. Those two players, as well as the two Brazilian wingers, Richarlison and Bernard, add great quality to the squad, while the experience of the likes of Theo Walcott, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Michael Keane, make Everton a formidable team on their day.
2018-19 end of season form
Everton had a very poor run of form between December and February but looked a completely different side from March till the end of the season. Marco Silva’s side lost just twice in their last 10 games of the season, winning five, two of which was against Chelsea and Manchester United, the latter, a thumping 4-0 win at Goodison Park.
Silva seemed to get the right combination and formation for the final few months of the 2018-19 season, which helped propel them to the eighth position in the table, just three points shy of Wolves, who got the final Europa League spot. If the Everton manager can keep that good momentum going from the end of last season and get a good start to the league campaign, they will be confident of finishing in the top 6 in the league next season.
